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This article was written by WTOP’s news partner, InsideNoVa.com, and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
A new medical facility could change the health care game for veterans in Northern Virginia.
QTC Medical Services, a Leidos company, opened a new flagship clinic facility in Fairfax earlier this week. The facility features a range of health services for military veterans, separating and retiring service members, active duty and reserve service members and civilians in Northern Virginia and the D.C region.
“Our mission is to provide extraordinary service to our esteemed veterans. Serving those that served us,” said Leidos CEO Tom Bell. “But today is also not just about a clinic, it’s about innovation. It’s delivering those services at speed by leveraging technology.”
Bell was joined by U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and QTC CEO Larry Schaefer to give remarks at the clinic opening.
“There is no state in the nation that is as closely connected to the military mission as Virginia,” Kaine said. “For the mission at hand here today, this clinic that will help veterans more promptly and effectively be seen as they are seeking to pursue the rights that we have given them and to claim disability that they’re entitled to, it is really really important.”
The VA is one of the largest health care systems in the U.S., made up of hundreds of hospitals, medical centers and clinics all owned and operated by the Department of Veteran Affairs. But with the number of veterans in need and relatively limited capacity at VA hospitals, many veterans have had trouble finding timely care.
“We don’t get a lot of complaints about the quality of care at VA hospitals — we will get complaints about waits,” Kaine said.
QTC and Leidos hope the new clinic and mobile clinic will help alleviate wait times that veterans see at VA hospitals, increasing quality and accessibility to care.
The clinic brings a range of health services to veterans, active duty and reserve service members and civilians. Additionally, the clinic extends its services to encompass the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Federal Occupational Health program and U.S. government intelligence programs.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks, attendees were given the opportunity to tour the facility and mobile clinic and meet some of the clinic staff.
“This fits into the priority of doing all we can to honor people’s service and have them receive, as veterans, what the nation has promised them,” Kaine said.
